Arne Slot’s old club pay tribute after last-minute Liverpool heroics vs Atletico Madrid
Arne Slot was hailed as his side won their fifth straight game in all competitions this season with victory over Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Liverpool beat Atletico Madrid 3-2 courtesy of a stoppage-time header from Virgil van Dijk, which sent the home fans into raptures.
Incredibly, the Reds have relied on late winners in all five of their games this season, with three of them coming past the 90th minute.
Alexander Isak made his Liverpool debut against Atletico Madrid, and the striker showed promising signs without getting on the scoresheet.
Hugo Ekitike was dropped from the Liverpool line-up, however, with Slot seemingly favouring the width provided by Cody Gakpo on the left.
Feyenoord send message to Arne Slot
Arne Slot issued a battle cry to the Liverpool fans before the match, and Anfield did not let him down.
The Reds dominated proceedings and created an incredible seven big chances, but still found themselves level going into the final moments.
Goals from Andy Robertson and Mohamed Salah had put Liverpool ahead after just six minutes of action, and they were awarded a penalty in the 35th minute.
| Liverpool | Match stats | Atletico Madrid |
| 56% | Possession | 44% |
| 2.6 | Expected goals | 0.61 |
| 20 | Shots | 10 |
| 6 | On Target | 4 |
| 7 | Big chances | 1 |
| 7 | Corners | 6 |
Clement Lenglet had been adjudged to have handled the ball but on closer inspection, the ball had hit the Frenchman’s chest, and the penalty was overturned on review.
Marcos Llorente got a goal back for the visitors before half-time, and the Spain international found the equaliser when his deflected shot found its way past Alisson in the 81st minute.
Step forward Liverpool captain Van Dijk, who rose highest to meet Dominik Szoboszlai’s corner and power an accurate header into the bottom corner.
And after the dramatic win, Slot’s former club Feyenoord took to social media on Wednesday to write: “What a night for Arne Slot. Happy birthday, boss.”
- Read more: Ex-FIFA ref slams ‘misguided and incorrect’ decision that left Liverpool furious against Atletico
Defensive questions to be answered for Liverpool
Liverpool fans will point to the mentality of their team after the latest late winner, but critics will say that leaving it so late on such a consistent basis is not sustainable.
And there is truth to both claims. Slot will want to address the mid-game defensive collapses that keep seeing his team lose their leads.
- Liverpool lost a 2-0 lead for the third time this season on Wednesday.
- Newcastle United scored two to level before Rio Ngumoha’s winner.
- Antoine Semenyo’s quick-fire double brought Bournemouth back from 2-0 down before goals from Federico Chiesa and Salah.
The Merseyside derby on Saturday will bring a new chance to put that right, however, with the Dutchman likely hoping for a more routine victory.
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